Happy Labor Day!
Our First Puppies Have Arrived!
Loveable, sweet and eager to learn, these adorable purebred Golden Retriever puppies will one day be certified service dogs and will each be awarded to a local hero in need.
Please welcome our new puppies – Teddy and Louie! They are brothers and are 7 weeks old. Many thanks to our lead teacher at the AAEC Estrella Mountain Campus, Veronica Wiley, for jump starting their training. These adorable golden retrievers will be entering our class this fall at the AAEC Estrella Mountain. This recent move to acquire purebred puppies from reputable breeders will ensure that there are no genetic diseases in the bloodline. The FSDS is committed to providing the highest quality dogs to our recipients. Please be sure to like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Foundation-for-Service-Dog-Support-Inc/157638020954846?ref=hl) or follow us on Twitter -(@FServiceDogS) to follow their progress.
Classroom News
We are so grateful to our partners at AAEC High Schools. A special thanks to Administrators Linda Proctor Downing, Suzanne Drakes and William Conley PhD for their tireless efforts behind the scenes to make this program a success. We would also like to acknowledge Dr. Martha Braly, Principal at PV, as well as Dr. Mona Ramirez, Principal at EM for their kindness, hospitality and hard work on behalf of this program. Without the dedicated efforts of these caring people, a program such as this would not be possible. We are looking forward to a great new school year.
It is encouraging to see that the program is gaining in popularity and expanding- last year at this time we had 16 students between both campuses, and this year we have a combined total of 30 students. We are growing by leaps and bounds! Both classes will be getting ready to participate in a leadership experience at the Peoria Public Safety Night on October 18. Here the students will share the life-saving canine First Aid and CPR skills they have learned with others in our community. More info to come on this great family event.
Paradise Valley Campus: We currently have 7 returning students from last semester and 11 brand new students enrolled at the Estrella Mountain Campus! Our returning students have really stepped up to the plate to help mentor our newer students, and this type of leadership experience is key to the personal growth and development of our students. In a program such as ours, students are not only learning to be service dog trainers, they are learning how to become the next generation of strong leaders in our community.
This past summer the students had some great opportunities to take their Service Dogs-in-Training (SDITs) on field trip outings in the community, including Cabela’s and bowling at Dave and Busters!
Students pose in front of taxidermy displays at Cabelas. Exposing SDITs to as many unique sights and sounds as possible is an important part of their public access training.
Welcome back to a new school year to our stellar PV students. Our class has more than doubled in size this year and we are so excited to welcome the new additions to our class.
Estrella Mountain Campus: We currently have 10 new students enrolled at the Estrella Mountain Campus, with two more on the way. The students are enjoying getting to know the new puppies. Newly acquired SDITs “Teddy” and “Louie” have already made an appearance in class and are hard at work mastering some core obedience tasks such as “sit” and “down”.
Estrella Mountain students are off to a great start, and have made Teddy and Louie feel right at home on their campus.
Notice to Outreach Evaluators and Teams
Please check the expiration dates on your ID cards. Those of you who are nearing renewal / re-testing should contact our Outreach Coordinator, Sally Cebulski, to obtain a copy of the renewal application.
Evaluators- due to a recent problem with our website, we experienced some trouble with our Locate an Evaluator Map. Some names appear to have “vanished” and we are working to correct the problem as fast as we can. Please check our Locate an Evaluator Map to ensure that your name and contact information is correctly listed, and notify us of any problems. Thank you for your patience.
10 Things People Believe About Service Dogs (That Simply Are Not True)
- Service Dogs are legally required to be registered in the United States (according to the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is not legal for businesses to request documentation for a handler to gain access to a facility).
- Service Dogs are required to wear a vest (the only requirement is that they are harnessed, leashed, or tethered unless any of those devices prevents the dog from performing a task).
- All Service Dogs are trained and sold by a specialized training program (the ADA makes no stipulations about who trains a service dog).
- Service Dogs never make mistakes (people have accidents, so do dogs).
- Service Dogs never get to play (off duty service dogs act like normal dogs).
- Service Dogs can only be a certain breed (ADA places no restrictions on breeds of dogs. Evaluating the temperament of a dog is more important that evaluating a breed as a whole).
- Service Dogs are always re-homed when they retire (some are, however, some are not. This depends on the handler and his or her situation).
- A Service Dog is an invitation to ask about a person’s disability (it is never ok to ask a stranger about their disability. A person’s disability may not be obvious).
- Some individuals with disability are more deserving of a Service Dog than others (the only person who can tell a handler that they don’t deserve a service dog is a judge).
- Service Dog handlers should look sick (somebody who doesn’t look sick may still have disabilities – there are a variety of invisible disabilities that a person that appears healthy may have).
(www.ilrdb.com/ten-things-people-beleive-about-service-dogs-that-simpy-arent-true/)
Amazon and Go Fund Me
Please remember to select the FSDS when you shop at Amazon. We have received some funds already from your purchases and are so thankful to our supporters and to Amazon for starting this wonderful program! A portion of your online purchases will be donated to the Foundation for Service Dog Support (at no cost to you) when you shop using the special Amazon Smile portal page. When you sign up, you will receive an automatic confirmation email. We will also be creating a wish list to help support our students and our new puppies. You will be able to view this directly from your Amazon Smile Page – any help is greatly appreciated. stay tuned!
We have received donations already from Go Fund Me – http://www.gofundme.com/co8d2g Please share with your friends and help us reach our goal.
